Analysis of Japanese Sinologist Daihachi Miyajima’s Views on China

Abstract

Daihachi Miyajima (1867-1943) was a famous Chinese language educator in modern Japan who studied under Zhang Yuzhao, a renowned scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. Miyajima dedicated his entire life to teaching Chinese language and was widely regarded positively in both Japan and China. However, a thorough analysis of his strategies towards the Qing dynasty after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, his Kanji poetry written during his exile, his textbooks, and current affairs commentaries before and after the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), along with an examination of his language usage, writing logic, and core ideas, combined with an evaluation of their behaviors of his father, friends, students and his own towards China, reveals the contradictory attitude he demonstrated towards China. While advocating for Sino-Japanese peace and respect for teachers and friends, Miyajima indirectly supported Japan’s expansionist and aggressive policies towards China.